God or Me

Luke 1:26-38

December 20, 2009 – ©Rev. Dr. Linnea E. Carnes

Introduction

The children have given us a glimpse of key people and events that led to the birth of Jesus the Messiah. The people were real people in very real situations.

Both Zechariah and Mary were visited by the angel Gabriel. An angel spoke to Joseph in a dream. Elizabeth became pregnant in her old age. From these four people come two sons: John the Baptist and Jesus the Messiah.

Today we look more closely at Mary, Jesus’ mother.

Mary’s Situation

The angel Gabriel came to Mary with good news. “You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. … The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” And Mary responded to this news, saying, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me according to your word.” [Lk.1:31,35, 38].

Some people have a hard time believing in a virgin birth. Scientifically/medically it is impossible, so it can’t be true, in their minds. However, I find Mary’s response to Gabriel even harder to believe.

Mary was a young teenager – 13 or 14 years old. That was the usual age for girls to become pledged to marry. The engagement was as binding as marriage in our time. No intimacy was allowed until they were married. For a girl to become pregnant before the wedding was more than disgraceful. It would be considered adultery. A divorce would end the relationship. The girl would be shamed forever. Her family would lose face in the community.

Mary knew the Law. She knew what was expected of her. Did she really think that anyone in the town, including Joseph, would believe her story?

In a culture today that sees nothing wrong with a girl getting pregnant before marriage, that considers sex between teens the norm, it is difficult for us to grasp the seriousness of Mary’s situation.

Yet for Mary this was a life-changing moment, and perhaps even a life-threatening moment. I would think that Mary might have wanted a little time to think about this. Perhaps she should have talked with her parents or with Joseph about it. Making a quick decision of such importance for a young teenage girl was foolish.

Think about how you would react, mom and dad. Your 14-year-old daughter comes to you and says:

“Hey, mom and dad, I’ve got some really great news! I’m going to have a baby. But don’t worry because the baby is from the Holy Spirit. God is doing this. Isn’t that wonderful?”

How would you respond?

· “Do you really expect me to believe that one?”

· “Have you been taking drugs or something.”

· “What do you mean you told the angel yes, you’d be glad to do this?”

As hard as it would be for us today, it would have been far harder for Mary and her family in that time. Today it might be merely inconvenient. For Mary it meant giving up her life.

Mary Said “Yes” to God

Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me according to your word.” [Lk.1:38].

Mary said “yes” to God – to becoming the mother of the Son of God. And saying “yes” to God, allowing Jesus to be born in her, meant giving her life to God. It was a very risky thing to do.

“I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me according to your word.” [Lk.1:38]. Mary understood what it meant to be a servant. A servant obeys the master.

Mary said “yes” to God and let Jesus be born in her. She gave her life for the privilege of being the mother of God’s Son. She risked her life in doing so, but she also knew the joy of giving her life to God.

When Mary visited her relative Elizabeth she proclaimed these words:

“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.

From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me – holy is his name.” [Lk.1:46-49].

At that point Mary did not know if Joseph would still marry her. She didn’t know what the future would hold, or what would happen when she returned home. Yet, Mary trusted God. She gave her life for Jesus.

God or Mary

Mary was a truly remarkable young woman. She took a giant step in faith. She didn’t ask the angel all the obvious questions, like: “What is Joseph going to say? Or what will my parents do when I tell them?” She simply said “yes” to the angel’s words.

It wasn’t easy. The people in her village did “talk” behind her back. Joseph had a hard time accepting it, even with the dream from the angel. The trip to Bethlehem was also hard. Yet, that too was a part of God’s plan. Mary must have been amazed at what happened the night Jesus was born. Shepherds came to worship the baby and told of the angels appearing to them.

When the baby Jesus was eight days old, Mary and Joseph took him to the temple in Jerusalem to be dedicated. The words that Simeon spoke to her, in Luke 2:34-35, must have troubled her.

“This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

Being the mother of Jesus wouldn’t always be easy. But Mary did what God asked. She was God’s servant. She was doing what God asked her to do. “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me according to your word.”

God or Me

So, what about us? If we have invited Jesus into our hearts, do we understand that now we are God’s servants? Or are we still trying to tell God what we will do for God?

We are born self-seeking. We grow up wanting others to meet our demands. We are self-centered and individualistic by nature.

The problem is that we can’t live that way when we accept Jesus. We, like Mary, become servants of the Most High God. We are created by God, purchased by the blood of Jesus on the cross, saved by God’s grace in Jesus. When we say “yes” to Jesus, we belong to him.

In America, we can say “yes” to having the Son of God in our heart without fear of persecution. We can celebrate Christ’s birth freely, openly. It’s easy to be a Christian here and celebrate Christmas.

In some places in this world, it is still risky to give one’s life to Jesus. For a person to commit their life to Jesus in places like Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, can mean death.

Yet, we too are at risk. While we are not in danger of losing our life because we follow Christ, we may be in danger of losing our soul. We have forgotten what Mary knew – that saying “yes” to letting God’s Son come into us means giving up our life.

Jesus said: “Those who love their life will lose it, while those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am my servant also will be.” [Jn.12:25-26].

We follow Jesus; we go where he leads us and do what he asks us to do. He is the Master and we are his servants. As Max Lucado wrote, “Life makes sense when we accept our place. … The God-centered life works. And it rescues us from a life that doesn’t.” [Max Lucado, It’s Not About Me (Nashville, Integrity, 2004) 9].

Conclusion

Mary accepted her place as God’s servant and became the mother of Jesus, God’s Son. She never promoted herself or tried to draw attention to herself. It wasn’t about “look at what God and I are doing for all of you.”

She knew that she could choose her way or God’s way, but it couldn’t be God and Mary. It was either God or Mary. She chose God!

During these Sunday’s in Advent, we have looked at the key people involved in the Christmas story.

We know very little about Zechariah or Elizabeth. We also know very little about Joseph and even Mary. As important as each of these people was in the story of the coming of Jesus, the Messiah, after Luke, chapter 1 and 2, we hear very little about any of them.

The story isn’t about them. It’s about God.

Being a follower of Jesus isn’t about us – it’s about Jesus.

As we celebrate the birth of Jesus our Savior, we must remember that Christmas isn’t about us. It’s not about presents, decorations or even family gatherings.

We celebrate Christmas because it is the story of God coming to us in person to show us how much he loves us.

The Good News of Christmas is Jesus alone! Amen.

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This sermon is copyright ©2009 by Rev. Dr. Linnea E. Carnes, Immanuel Evangelical Covenant Church, Chicago, Illinois.